Improving the primary care physicians’ decision making for fibromyalgia in clinical practice

"The use of such a tool during consultation will not only improve the quality of care in general practice but will also increase patients’ and doctors’ satisfaction and improve patients’ self-esteem and well-being." 

Improving the primary care physicians’ decision making for fibromyalgia in clinical practice: development and validation of the Fibromyalgia Detection (FibroDetect®) screening tool
R Baron et al.
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2014, 12:128

Read more here.

The quality of clinical coding in the NHS

"Throughout the assurance framework we have identified consistent issues that impact on data quality. We have developed these themes using the learning from this year’s audit programme into a checklist of 10 areas designed to enable senior managers to identify ways of improving and maintaining the quality of clinical coded data."

The quality of clinical coding in the NHS: Payment by Results data assurance framework
CAPITA
Department of Health
September 2014

Read more here.

Chest pain symptom scoring can improve the quality of referrals to Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic

"Chest pain symptom scoring resulted in improved GP discrimination of chest pain, improved referral quality, fewer overall referrals to RACPC and shorter patient wait times. These benefits were achieved without using additional financial resources and without the time or capital expense of training GPs."

Chest pain symptom scoring can improve the quality of referrals to Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic
K Sinhji Rathod, H Ward, F Farooqi
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2014;3

Read more here.

Improving the accuracy of operation coding in surgical discharge summaries

" We suggest that specifically designed coding tables be introduced across each surgical department to ensure accurate OPCS codes are used to produce better quality surgical discharge summaries and to ensure correct reimbursement to the Trust."

Improving the accuracy of operation coding in surgical discharge summaries
E Martinou, G Shouls, N Betambeau
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2014;3

Read more here.

MediDial cards: a quick win for service improvement

"Through the introduction of our MediDial cards we not only reduced the frequency junior doctors needed to contact the switchboard on a daily basis, but also the length of time spent waiting to speak to an operator. The MediDial cards were also found to be time saving and more useful than the previous intranet based database."

MediDial cards: a quick win for service improvement
Mike Davies, Sonia Panchal
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2014;3

Read more here.

"Patient experience is a key quality outcome for modern health services, but most existing survey methods are long and setting-specific. We identified the need for a short generic questionnaire for tracking patient experience."
 
A short generic patient experience questionnaire: howRwe development and validation
T Benson, H Potts
BMC Health Services Research 2014, 14:499

Read more here.

Lean management and the psychosocial work environment

"As health care struggles to meet increasing demands with limited resources, Lean has become a popular management approach. It has mainly been studied in relation to health care performance. The empirical evidence as to how Lean affects the psychosocial work environment has been contradictory."

Interactions between lean management and the psychosocial work environment in a hospital setting - a multi-method study
W Ulhassan, U von Thiele Schwarz, J Thor, H Westerlund
BMC Health Services Research 2014, 14:480

Read more here.

Financial failure in the NHS

"This report describes the current financial state of the NHS and the drivers of financial failure before setting out the approaches used to avert financial failure or to deal with it once it occurs. We finish with some recommendations for the future. "

Financial failure in the NHS: What causes it and how best to manage it
R Murray, C Imison, J Jabbal
October 2014

Read more here.

System leadership: Lessons and learning

"A consensus is emerging in England around the concept of ‘integrated care’ as the best hope for a sustainable NHS. For leaders in the health care system, this represents an immense challenge. Leading across complex interdependent systems of care is a new and different role, undertaken alongside the already difficult task of leading successful institutions."

System leadership: Lessons and learning from AQuA's Integrated Care Discovery Communities
D Fillingham, B Weir
October 2014

Read more here.

Achieving better access to mental health services by 2020

"The introduction of new standards, new payment and new commissioning regimes will drive a much richer set of data about the quality and performance of services for all ages and the outcomes achieved. Much more relevant data, open to patients, the public, providers and commissioners will help to drive improvement and expose and then eradicate unacceptably long waits for treatment."

Achieving better access to mental health services by 2020
NHS England, Department of Health
August 2014

Read more here.

Safe staffing and escalation process

"Whilst it has not led to any cost savings, the consistent and robust focus on safe staffing has had a number of other benefits through a robust focus on safe staffing levels, e.g. a benefit to patient care through a consistent approach to staffing in clinical areas, empowering senior nurse leaders to make decisions about safe staffing."

St George's Healthcare NHS Trust Safe staffing and escalation process
St George's Healthcare NHS Trust
NICE Shared Learning
September 2014

Read more here.

Separating diagnostic neurology from management of long-term neurological conditions

"We believe that our new model of service delivery for patients with long-term neurological conditions is leading to a significant improvement in quality and efficiency"

Separating Diagnostic Neurology from Management of Long-Term Neurological Conditions: A new concept of service delivery
Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
NICE Shared Learning
September 2014

Read more here.

NHS hospitals under pressure: trends in acute activity up to 2022

"In this analysis we look at trends in admissions and bed use over the last few years, and use population projections to explore the likely pressures on hospitals in the future."

NHS hospitals under pressure: trends in acute activity up to 2022
P Smith, A McKeon, I Blunt, N Edwards
Nuffield Trust
October 2014

Read more here.

Allied health professionals - Can we measure quality of care?

"In this report, we explore the quality of care and services delivered by allied health professionals (AHPs). AHPs are a group of autonomous practitioners who work with many other professionals and at many points along the care pathway." 

Focus on: Allied health professionals - Can we measure quality of care? (Quality Watch)
H Dorning, M Bardsley
Health Foundation, Nuffield Trust
September 2014

Read more here.

Exploring the cost of care at the end of life

"The results suggest that cost savings might be available if community-based support were made more widely available to help people to die in their own homes, where that was their preference."

Exploring the cost of care at the end of life
T Georghiou, M Bardsley
Nuffield Trust
September 2014

Read more here.

Transforming mental health: a plan of action for London

"This report describes a vision for the future of mental health provision in London, generated through a process of engagement with key stakeholders in the capital. The vision is based on a collaborative, integrated approach towards mental health that is relevant in London and elsewhere."

Transforming mental health: a plan of action for London
H Gilburt, N Edwards, R Murray
The King's Fund
September 2014

Read more here.

Evidence summaries (decision boxes) to prepare clinicians for shared decision-making with patients

"Decision boxes (Dboxes) provide clinicians with research evidence about management options for medical questions that have no single best answer. Dboxes fulfil a need for rapid clinical training tools to prepare clinicians for clinician-patient communication and shared decision-making. We studied the barriers and facilitators to using the Dbox information in clinical practice"

Evidence summaries (decision boxes) to prepare clinicians for shared decision-making with patients: a mixed methods implementation study
AMC Giguere et al.
Implementation Science 2014, 9:144

Read more here.

"I should have discharged him but I felt guilty"

"Clinicians‘ emotions about practice are a potentially powerful yet largely overlooked factor in implementation of good-quality care. The present paper expands the current, limited evidence about clinicians‘ emotions by (i) describing clinician-reported examples of emotions about practice and (ii) identifying the clinical situations in which, according to clinicians, emotions emerge and influence practice."

“I should have discharged him but I felt guilty”: a qualitative investigation of clinicians’ emotions in the context of implementing occupational therapy
N Kolehmainen, J McAnuff
Implementation Science 2014, 9:141

Read more here.

A knowledge translation tool improved osteoporosis disease management in primary care

"Our multicomponent Op-KT tool significantly increased osteoporosis disease management in three family practices. This study highlights the potential of using decision support tools at the point of care in busy, short-visit practices to facilitate patient self-management."

A knowledge translation tool improved osteoporosis disease management in primary care: an interrupted time series analysis
M Kastner et al.
Implementation Science 2014, 9:109

Read more here.

Exploring mentorship as a strategy to build capacity for knowledge translation research and practice

"Despite widespread focus on quality in the healthcare sector, performance reports highlight the need to improve the organization, delivery, and outcomes of healthcare services and programs [1]. Knowledge translation (KT) refers to an approach for improving healthcare and its outcomes by promoting and supporting the use of research in clinical, management, and policy-level decision-making "

Exploring mentorship as a strategy to build capacity for knowledge translation research and practice: a scoping systematic review

AR Gagliardi, F Webster, L Perrier, M Bell, S Straus

Implementation Science 2014, 9:122

Read more here.

Improving handover of patient care using a new weekend proforma with a focus on ceiling of care

"Results demonstrate that introducing Friday ward round proformas for medical patients improves communication between weekday and on-call teams, highlights current escalation of care plans, and leads to faster decision-making."

Improving handover of patient care using a new weekend proforma with a focus on ceiling of care
C Yusuf Akhunbay-Fudge, I Buss, A Ward, C Snead, M Cole, A Coulter
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2014;3

Read more here.

Atrial fibrillation and heart valve disease: self‑monitoring coagulation status using point‑of‑care coagulometers

"Self-monitoring through use of CoaguChek XS or InRatio2 PT/INR coagulometers has the potential to be cost-saving for CCGs as the increased frequency of INR monitoring may improve health outcomes by enabling the dose of therapy to be adjusted more accurately, thereby avoiding adverse events that can result from an inappropriate dose of long-term vitamin K antagonist therapy, such as stroke and major haemorrhage."

Atrial fibrillation and heart valve disease: self‑monitoring coagulation status using point‑of‑care coagulometers: costing statement
NICE
September 2014

Read more here.

Assessing motility of the gastrointestinal tract using a wireless capsule: audit tool

"NICE has recommended that assessing motility of the gastrointestinal tract using a wireless capsule should only be used with special arrangements for audit. This means that clinicians carrying out the procedure should audit and review the outcomes of all patients. Audit data should be reviewed at appropriate intervals and practice should be changed if the results suggest the need to do so."

Assessing motility of the gastrointestinal tract using a wireless capsule: clinical audit tool
NICE
September 2014

Access the tool here.

Bipolar disorder: costing and clinical audit tools

NICE have published an audit tool and costing statement to assist organisations in assessing for and implementing guidance for bipolar disorder assessment and management.

Bipolar disorder: the assessment and management of bipolar disorder in adults, children and young people in primary and secondary care
NICE
September 2014

Access the costing and audit tools here.

Exercise referral schemes to promote physical activity: costing tools

A costing statement and local costing template have been produced to help local authorities estimate the financial impact to of implementing the [NICE] guidance in their area.

Exercise referral schemes to promote physical activity: costing 
NICE
September 2014

Access the costing tools here.

Myocardial infarction (acute): Early rule out using high-sensitivity troponin tests

NICE have created a costing statement and audit tool to help implement and assess the impact of diagnostic guidance for acute Myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction (acute): Early rule out using high-sensitivity troponin tests (Elecsys Troponin T high-sensitive, ARCHITECT STAT High Sensitive Troponin-I and AccuTnI+3 assays)
NICE
October 2014

Access the tools here.

Health Policy Implications of a Three-Generation Case Study

"Conventional wisdom holds that the redesign of health care requires stepping back from the issues of individual patients and analyzing patterns of outcomes and costs for large patient populations. As practicing primary care physicians, we think a useful, complementary perspective might result from doing the opposite: looking intensely at the health and health care of an individual but widening the lens through which that patient is viewed. "

Time after Time - Health Policy Implications of a Three-Generation Case Study
C Sayer, TH Lee
New England Journal of Medicine 2014; 371:1273-1276

Read more here.

Developing recommendations to improve the quality of diabetes care in Ireland

"Our results reflect the dynamic nature of the policy process and the importance of timing. The results highlight the limits of rational policy making in the face of organisational and fiscal upheaval."

Developing recommendations to improve the quality of diabetes care in Ireland: a policy analysis
SM McHugh, IJ Perry, C Bradle, R Brugha
Health Research Policy and Systems 2014, 12:53

Read more here.    

Ideas into action: person-centred care in practice

"This report aims to inform health care professionals, commissioners and providers about what to consider when implementing shared decision making and self-management support as part of their drive to make person-centred care a reality."

Ideas into action: person-centred care in practice. What to consider when implementing shared decision making and self-management support
Health Foundation
October 2014

Read more here.

Person-centred care: from ideas to action

"This report is the product of work which has sought to bring together the evidence on shared decision making and self-management support, with the aim of providing greater coherence and clarity in debates about person-centred care."

Person-centred care: from ideas to action 
N Ahmad, J Ellins, H Krelle, M Lawrie
Health Foundation
October 2014

Read more here.